Reform UK's membership has surged by 50% in the week following Nigel Farage's announcement to run as a parliamentary candidate, as per exclusive figures obtained
by ITV News.
In the past seven days, nearly 14,000 individuals have joined Reform UK, pushing its membership above 45,000.
On Monday, June 3rd alone, over 4,000 people joined the party—the day Mr. Farage revealed his decision to become the party leader and contest in the general election.
The party also witnessed a spike in membership registrations after Rishi Sunak chose to skip the second half of the D-Day commemorations in Normandy.
Each new member contributes £25 to join Reform UK, generating an additional £350,000 in the past week.
Party officials report that other fundraising efforts and significant one-time donations have raised the total fundraising amount to over £1 million during this period.
Reform UK's internal data reflects a growth in membership following Nigel Farage's decision to run for parliament. Credit: Reform UK Unlike most political parties, Reform UK operates as a limited company, meaning party members do not have a say in policy decisions or leadership selections.
One of the speculated reasons for Mr. Sunak calling a snap election was to catch the Reform party unprepared.
While the party's membership is expanding, concerns are also growing about some of its candidates.
On Friday, Reform UK withdrew support for two candidates after discovering their previous racist remarks.
The party has stated it will investigate other allegations as well.
Nigel Farage told ITV News' Harry Horton that he had 'no idea' why Robert Lomas wasn't campaigning with him but would look into Lomas' alleged comments about asylum seekers and 'Black people of Britain.'
One candidate under investigation is Robert Lomas, who is running in Barnsley North, a key target seat for the party.
Lomas is reported to have stated that asylum seekers had it “in their DNA to lie” in online comments. He also wrote that “Black people of Britain” were “grifting the race card” and should stop acting “like savages,” according to The Times.
Campaigning in Barnsley on Tuesday, Mr. Farage said he was unaware of why Mr. Lomas hadn’t appeared alongside him.
Mr. Farage said he only became aware of Lomas’ comments that morning, expressing concern and promising to investigate thoroughly.
“This election’s been thrust upon us with almost no time for vetting or organization. Naturally, we’ll encounter individuals saying things they shouldn’t,” he added. Photo by Michael Vadon, Wikimedia commons.